YOU want my kids to TAKE NOTES? But they are 6 yrs old...

With all the talk of new standards and performance tasks around here, I felt that it was time to share some ideas on ways to teach kids how to use a sticky note to take notes. I have been hearing from some teachers that this is just too hard for kids to do. Well.... of course it will be hard, just like learning to read and learning how to write cursive, but with practice it will get easier.  

First, we must understand that kids will not write super small, so give them a BIG sticky note or a clip board with half a sheet of paper & a pen so they HAVE ROOM to write and  do write instead of wasting time erasing.

Second, you will introduce to your class 2 different ways to take notes: one is by sketching & two is by writing key words.  That is it. Nothing crazy, just keep it simple!

This is a chart that I would unveil to my class as I introduced each method to them. Since your kids will be anxious to write down or draw everything under the sun, you will want to have them practice lots and lots so they get the hang of it.  Once your kids have mastered one, you can show them another way to take notes or you can show just a small group.  It will really depend on your class and their reading & writing abilities. Either way you do it, try to give them a choice as to which one THEY want to use. ( even if it is the color of the sticky note!) If they are more confident it their drawing, then let them draw.

The current reading unit that I am supporting is a Fiction Unit on Self Monitoring. Since the students that I am working with are moving from Level G-H-I readers to J-K-L readers, they do tend to get stuck and sometimes not even know it.  YIKES!  Students just get so excited that they are reading chapters or they finished another LONG book, that they gloss over a few words here and then they have no clue what is going on! OH NO!

I am using a book like the Mercy Watson Series to model for the students my amazing READING SKILLS and how to use STICKY NOTES to help me get UNSTUCK while reading.

THE SKETCH METHOD

First, when I begin to read my new Mercy Watson book, I would have a nice  BIG FAT sticky note on my chart paper  ready to go. I would begin to read the book and as each character was introduced, I would think aloud about the many people we were meeting in the book.  Then I by the 2nd or 3rd page, I might then stop and say to the class,

        

  "Wow, there are many characters in this story and I don't want to get confused, so I am going to sketch some notes on the characters in this story so I remember who is who." 

Then I would sketch a pig for Mercy,  simple man for Mr. Watson and a woman for Mrs. Watson. I would then tell the class as more people are introduced, I would then add them to the first sticky note with the characters on it.

At the end of chapter one, I would pause and tell the class this:

  "WOW! I just read a whole chapter.  Before I read anymore, I must STOP! And think what was this chapter mostly about.  Ok let's see, ( counting on my fingers) I learned that Mr. & Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy. Mercy likes toast and Mercy likes to sleep in bed with Mr. & Mrs. Watson because she is warm and toasty. WOW,  that is a lot of information. So what is the chapter MOSTLY about....hmmm I think I will draw a picture with a bed and 3 heads in it smiling. This way I will remember....."

I would continue to do this for the second chapter as well. I would model and really think about what I was going to draw before I drew it. I would TELL the kids this as I am thinking it.
Then by chapter 3, I would have my class try it the same way I did. Talk about what the chapter was mostly about with a partner FIRST and then draw a simple picture to help them remember what the chapter was MOSTLY about.  HINT HINT....time it. Give kids 30 seconds to draw it or 1 min MAX! This way the kids can get the feel that during reading we spend time READING, not writing a notes.

For the first few times you try this with your class, you will want to have that TALK TIME before sketching , especially if this is the first time your class is take notes.  By the third read aloud, you can just pause at the end of a chapter or section and tell the kids, to stop & sketch.

At the end of each Read Aloud, would have children put their names on the sticky notes and collect them to see what my next steps are in my note taking lessons or what small group work will need to be done based on the notes. Move on to new genres and keep at it! They will succeed! Don't give up! You can do this! Keep trying and I promise your kids will get better at it! 

WRITE SOME WORDS METHOD

Again I would use another book that would support my current reading, social studies, or science unit to first model for my class how to take notes while reading.  Since I read Mercy Watson #1 for the sketch method, I might want to use Mercy Watson #2 for this time around since the class is familiar with the characters.

So again, I would begin my Read Aloud with a large sticky note ready to go on chart paper.

"Since I already read one Mercy Watson book, I know the crazy cast of characters in the book. So before I even begin I am going to get myself  ready to take FAST NOTES by writing M for Mercy, ( draw a M on the chart) Mrs. for Mrs. Watson & a Mr. for Mr. Watson. This way I will save time by not writing the whole name down when  I am taking notes.  Now I am going to start reading"

As I begin reading the text, I would again model for the kids that at the end of the chapter 1, I would say to the class,
"Ok now I must stop and think what is this chapter mostly about. Hmm well Mr. Watson like to take their pink convertible out for a ride each weekend and Mercy LOVES it. So let's think. How can I say this in a few words. Hmmm. Mercy & Mr. W ride in pink car or Mercy rides in car with Mr. W....What about Mercy & Mr. W love to ride in convertible.  Ok, that is a few words. So I will write on my post- it like this."

Again, I would model this for the kids once or twice like we did with the sketching. Again, the students would benefit from TALKING about what the chapter was MOSTLY about and then finding  SIMPLE words to  put on the sticky note. The hard part will be the words.  Don't give up! Tell them not worry about spelling. As long as the kids know what it means, then go with it! Remember, it is their notes and we want them to be comfortable with it.

Again, give them a time limit and stick to it. This will force them to get the work done and get back to reading. Make it like a contest and I am sure your 6 and 7 year old students will beat you to it!

Like I said before, the more you practice it, the better they will be at it. Just don't give up!
Your kids will get it and if you want to change it up and have them take notes on videos, informational texts, and the like, this is just a few ways to get them ready to make that leap.

Happy Note Taking and let me know how it's going! I want to help!